


running in the rain

by Thebloomaster



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Blindshipping, Caretaking, Coughing, Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, Fever, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Canon Fix-It, Puzzleshipping, Sick Character, Sickfic, Sneezing, kind of college au?, sick!atem
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:20:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26554246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thebloomaster/pseuds/Thebloomaster
Summary: Atem is sick, and Yugi takes care of him. Oneshot.blindshipping/puzzleshipping.
Relationships: Atem/Mutou Yuugi, Mutou Yuugi/Yami Yuugi
Comments: 10
Kudos: 53





	running in the rain

**Author's Note:**

> I...just finished my other sick fic this morning and really wanted to start a new one. I hope you enjoy. 
> 
> <3

Fog obscures Yugi’s vision as he skitters down the sidewalk, avoiding as many puddles as he can. His umbrella catches in the wind, but his grip is firm. There’s a rhythm to his running. He’s panting, red-in-the-face, but he just wants to be home. 

Atem is waiting for him, after all. 

He greets his grandfather and hastily removes his shoes. His knees are sore from the exercise.

“Eh? Yugi, where’s the fire?” He asks. 

Yugi catches his breath. “Sorry, Grandpa,” he looks away, “I’m just—”

“Atem is _fine_ , Yugi.” Solomon says, approaching him. He claps his grandson’s shoulder. “Don’t look so frazzled.” 

Yugi nods, excusing himself. He’s still shaking from the adrenaline of running all the way from the bus stop. Regardless, he tries to walk as gingerly and as quickly up the stairs as he can.

When he opens the bedroom door, he sees his partner in the low lamplight, swaddled in blankets, wearing one of Yugi’s hoodies. He’s awake and startles at the sound of the creaking door.

“Aibou...you’re home.” His voice is hoarse, but he’s smiling. Yugi approaches the bed and pulls Atem into an embrace from behind. He’s trapped Atem’s arms, and his body is serving as an extra layer outside of the blanket.

“How are you feeling?” Yugi asks. Now he’s climbing onto the bed, positioning himself so that he’s clinging to Atem like a backpack. His grandpa had put an extra bed into the room—he’d feign ignorance of the fact that they just shared Yugi’s anyway. It was perhaps the most unused piece of furniture in the Muto household. 

Atem opens his mouth and coughs—he’s clearly trying to stifle it—the sound rattling in his chest. It offsets a whole fit. Yugi strokes his back, encouraging him to stop trying to contain it. When it subsides, Yugi waits for an answer.

When Atem remains relatively silent, Yugi presses a kiss into his partner’s cheek. “You still feel warm.” 

Atem only shrugs. “I suppose.” Then he changes the subject asking, “How were your classes? Did you have anthropology today?” 

Yugi drew his Atem closer and rested his chin on his partner’s shoulder. “They were fine, and yeah. Things were pretty boring today...What about you?” He notices that Atem’s notebooks are opened on the desk nearby and gasps, “You didn’t do your online classes, did you?”’ 

Atem stiffens. That was the only response Yugi needed.

“ _Atem,_ you’re supposed to be resting!” he rebukes. 

“I—” he breaks off coughing, and Yugi caresses his chest. Atem catches his breath. “I don’t want to fall behind; it would be impudent for me to—” more coughs sputtered out, shaking the bed, “Excuse me, to...to…” he pauses, “ _Ah,_ to disparage all that you and your grandpa have done for me to give me such an opportunity to learn.” 

Yugi shakes his head. “Oh, my treasure, please don’t forget that your health should always come first.” The pleading in his tone isn’t lost on his partner. Atem shifts so he’s facing Yugi. 

“I’m sorry to worry you, Aibou.” He brushes one of Yugi’s damp bangs from his face and frowns. “You’re all wet.”

“It’s mostly just my hair.”

“You should dry off, I don’t want you to fall ill too.” His thumb grazes Yugi’s cheek.

Yugi nearly chuckles, but knows his partner is serious. “I told you last night—I don’t mind getting sick if it means I can take care of you.” He sighs and rises anyway to find a towel. He pulls one out from the drawer and squeezes it around sections of his hair. He’s sure it looks disheveled. Then for good measure, he shakes his head. He’s not going to use a blow dryer—he was sure Atem’s headache was still going strong if he was here sitting in the dark. 

He returns to the bed and cups Atem’s cheeks in his hands. “There. All dry.”

Atem tries to hum, but he’s too congested and he ends up coughing again, whipping away to direct it away from Yugi. Yugi pulls him in, anyway and feels his partner’s chest convulsing against his. 

“Let’s do something for your cough, okay?” 

“Please...not those _alleged_...cherry candies.” Atem says through final sputters of coughing. He’d nearly gagged when Yugi had given him a cough drop earlier. Yugi kisses his forehead and then shakes his head. 

“I have a different idea. I’ll be back in a minute.” He holds up a finger before retreating to the bathroom. It doesn’t take much effort to find the vapor rub in the medicine cabinet. 

He returns, and Atem sneezes. It’s rougher and louder than Yugi's heard him sneeze before. Atem sighs and sniffles. 

“Maybe someone’s thinking about you.” Yugi suggests playfully before sitting on the bed again. Even though it’s dark in the room, Yugi can tell Atem is rolling his eyes. 

“I don’t care. I only want you to think of me.” 

Yugi hums, putting Atem’s pierced earlobe between his lips. He whispers, “Same goes for you.”

Atem swallows and clears his throat. “Aibou...”

He glances down at the container in his hand, remembering his task. Admonishing himself, he shakes his head before giving Atem’s cheek a lighthearted peck. “Now, let’s take your shirt off.” 

“Ah, _Yugi,_ I don’t know if—”

“No, no, no—” Yugi cuts him off, waving his free hand dismissively. He feels his ears growing warm. “I’m gonna rub this on your chest and back. It’ll help you feel better, okay?” 

Atem sniffles, mumbling something under his breath Yugi didn’t quite catch. Complying, he lifts the hoodie and the undershirt over his head and leaves it on the quilt. 

Yugi massages the balmy vapor rub over Atem’s feverish skin. Atem sniffles again and shivers. Goosebumps speckle his back as Yugi rubs a thin coat across it. 

“It’s cold.” Atem says. It’s not quite a whine or even a complaint, but Yugi is quick to finish up.

“There,” he says, screwing the lid back on. “Does that feel better?” 

Atem takes a slow breath and nods. The whole room smells strongly of menthol. He holds up his index finger before snapping away and sneezing again. Then he sniffles hard and presses his wrist to the underside of his nose. Yugi reaches over and grabs a handkerchief for his partner. With a nod of thanks, Atem takes it. He’s blowing his nose self-consciously. Yugi looks away, and picks up the shirt Atem was wearing, turning it right-side-in. It was one of Yugi’s old t-shirts.

A small hum of laughter escaped Yugi’s lips.

“What?” Atem mumbled, as if to say _why are you laughing at me?_

“It’s just cute that you’re wearing my stuff.” Yugi grinned. “After all, we just went shopping last week.” 

“Ah...Well…” Atem sighed, a loose cough following the breath. Then he muttered, “Your clothes smell like you.”

Yugi planted a light kiss on his partner’s lips. “That’s so cute.” 

“I-I—” Atem was blushing and for a moment he’d stopped shivering. 

“You look really good in my clothes.” Yugi adds, helping him back into the shirt and hoodie. “I don’t mind at all.”

Atem takes a slow sip of water from the cup on the nightstand before laying back on his side. 

“Did you eat enough today?” Yugi asks suddenly, stroking Atem’s arm. 

He nods. “Gr—Your grandpa made soup.”

“You can call him Grandpa, too; that’s okay. I’m sure he’d like that.”

Atem coughs, and Yugi lays behind him. Usually Atem prefers to be the big spoon, but today Yugi wants to hold his partner instead. 

“What about you?” Atem returns the question. Yugi has to think about it for a moment. Truthfully, he’d been too anxious to eat as much as he should have. But he did make sure to have most of a sandwich and a granola bar in between his classes. Now he just felt hypocritical. His shoulders become tense, and he sighs.

“I...ate between my classes. I haven’t been too hungry, but maybe I’ll make us something later.” 

Atem's hands envelope Yugi's and he gently holds them against his heart. “I don’t want you to neglect your needs on my account, Aibou.”

“I’m not…” Yugi yawned. “Honestly, I’m pretty tired too.” 

“Don’t you want to change into pajamas?”

He knew he probably _should_ change clothes, but Yugi can’t be bothered. Or rather, he doesn’t want to let go of his partner. 

“Nah,” Yugi says, “I’m comfortable as I am.” He reaches over and switches the lamp off. He nuzzles his Atem’s neck and his heart rate finally slows to match his partner’s. The last thing Yugi is aware of before drifting off to sleep is the sound of pattering rain and Atem’s congested breathing.


End file.
